Michelle Obama wears $35 H&M dress on TV

Published: 12 Feb 11 12:13 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation

American First Lady Michelle Obama's television appearance in a dress from Sweden's H&M has prompted an exhaustive hunt for the elusive item, which has sold out in a number of stores in the US.

The wife of US President Barack Obama has won praise after departing from her usual upscale designer fashion style by appearing on NBC's Today show on Wednesday in H&M.

"Very nice and flattering that Michelle Obama, who has such an unfailing sense of style, blends H&M into her closet. We take it as a compliment," Charlotta Nemlin of H&M's press section told newspaper Expressen on Friday.

Obama wore a $34.95 (299 kronor in Sweden) navy blue dotted dress on the show. The dress appears on the company's website as "in stores now," but it appears that is not the case in a number of US outlets.

According to the Obama fashion blog mrs-o.org on Thursday, stores in both Detroit and Boston were fielding numerous calls looking for the dress even after they had sold out.

Obama's stylist modified the dress by adding sleeves. In addition, she wore a thicker belt around the waist with the ensemble instead of the red sash that accompanies the dress.

According to Expressen's fashion expert Emma Danielsson, Obama's decision to wear a Swedish label is "fantastic publicity" for H&M. Recently, the First Lady has come under fire from the fashion industry for not exclusively wearing American labels and designers.

This is not the first time Obama has stepped out in H&M. While campaigning for her husband's presidential campaign in 2008, she wore a striped maroon, black and white tank dress, also retailing for $34.95. The move reportedly made her appear more accessible to many American women.

Mr Money exclusively reveals that it's not the Malaysians or South Koreans but the Japanese who are selling the cheapest new cars in the UK.

The Suzuki Alto SZ3 has just inherited the title of the best value, most affordable car in Britain. At just £5,995, the little five-seater from the underrated Japanese firm is now £300 cheaper than the officially and heavily discounted Fiat Panda 1.1 Active Eco. Although it was only a fortnight ago that I described this version of the Panda as the “ultimate small, cheap car of the year so far”, Suzuki dealers (or some of them) have responded by undercutting the Fiat – and everything else on the market.

With the withdrawal of the £5,799 Perodua Kenari late last year, the £5,995 Alto is now the least expensive new car in the UK and looks certain to remain so while Suzuki and its dealers collectively pay the 20 per cent VAT on behalf of their customers, as well as offering additional sweeteners.

Some of Suzuki’s London dealers (020 8464 3456 or 020 8303 1234) are selling the SZ3 at £5,995 on the road, and I understand that official dealerships outside the capital are offering it at the same price.

Consumers can also buy the car on credit after putting down a deposit of £899 then paying the balance (including £1,555 of interest charges) over three and a half years. Although the finance is not great at 12 per cent APR, the price of the car, including loan charges, over 42 months totals £7,550 – less than £6 a day. But don’t forget that this sum buys the car outright after three and a half years at which point it can be sold for perhaps £3,000.

I rarely recommend a car or motoring-related product solely because it is the cheapest but, at £5,995 – that’s less than the price of some mobility scooters or ultra-lightweight bicycles – the Alto SZ3 is the exception.

* A month ago I reported that a leading oil company was charging motorists up to £1.45 per litre for diesel at some of its pumps. Furthermore, I warned that the £7 gallon is “just around the corner”. That might be sooner than I had feared, because BP has been charging as much as £1.47 per litre (or £6.68 per gallon). If BP sites continue to raise prices at this rate, the £1.55 litre will arrive by spring, and with it the £7 gallon.

Fuel retailers are only obliged to display prices in pence per litre. To get the more common price per gallon, simply multiply the litre price by 4.546.

Meanwhile, Tesco is helping to make petrol and diesel a little more affordable – but only if drivers do their weekly shopping at one of its stores.

For every £50 a customer spends on groceries, he saves five pence per litre on fuel, up to a maximum of 100 litres per visit. Please note that this saving is not available to drivers who pay by card at the pump. Also, the discount doesn’t apply to Tesco sites selling Esso fuel. And that seems a bit mean.

* New cars are getting dearer, but greener. The average price is now £28,096 according to Driven Data, which reckons that 12 months ago that figure was £26,918. It says its index is based on the retail price of every model sold in Britain and takes into consideration last month’s rise in VAT from 17.5 per cent to 20 per cent.

Meanwhile, Clean Green Cars says that CO2 emissions from new cars continue to decrease, with an average figure of 144g/km now compared to 150g/km a year ago. Of the mass manufacturers, Fiat, Toyota, BMW/MINI and Citroën are said to have made great improvements in CO2 emissions.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Cars of the Stars: museum of famous vehicles from film and TV to be sold on eBay

Hidden away in the Lake District, Cumbria, a fleet of 25 original cars from film
and television is going up for sale on the online auction site eBay. Dedicated
British hobbyist Peter Nelson (above, with the Batmobile) has spent 30 years
painstakingly collecting the vehicles, which have been displayed in his
museum - Cars of the Stars.

Get off my beach! Sea captain who nodded off on Antarctic beach gets a wild wake-up call

Resting on a deserted beach the last thing sea captain Jerome Poncet expected was a huge blubbery local to join him for a spot of sunbathing.

But that's exactly what happened when a four-ton male elephant seal caught him cat napping near his territory in South Georgia.

The Frenchman had piloted his boat Golden Fleece to Britain's most remote colony, near Antarctica, with an expedition team of six wildlife photographers on board, and found the local inhabitants more than happy to pose for pictures.

Mr Poncet, 55, even attracted a flock of King Penguins as he caught forty winks. Pictures show how at one point he had a massive wild elephant seal on one side and a large group of curious penguins on the other.

The group had travelled thousands of miles to capture the explosive rutting season of the colossal elephant seal males.

After they arrived the team set out to picture the dramatic fights between the bulls.

Free from his duties, the captain, who has lived for most of his life in the Falkland Islands, decided to rest on St. Andrew's Bay. But as he snoozed near the water one inquisitive elephant seal hauled itself towards him - ending up just a few feet away.

Who's this guy? A male elephant seal lies near Jerome Poncet while some inquisitive King Penguins stare at the sleeping Frenchman

Can you hear me? Sea captain snoozes soundly despite the nearby attentions of an elephant seal

Czech wildlife photographer Vaclav Silha, 60, from Prague, led the expedition and turned to see the amazing showdown before him.

'Jerome is such a deep sleeper he didn't seem to notice the huge male come over to inspect him,' he said. 'The seal must have wondered what this strange creature was.

'I didn't wake him because from it's body language it was clearly just interested and wanted to investigate.

We're trying to have a meeting, you know: Penguins look perturbed as expedition photographer Valav Silha sits for a snap in South Georgia

'Also, the animals only become aggressive when provoked. Jerome has been sailing to Antarctica for over 30 years, so he understands many of the species very well. I knew he was safe from having a heart attack if he woke up and saw this beast in front of him.'

Mr Silha added: 'It got better as a group of King Penguins joined in, and even some sea birds.

'I'm glad he fell asleep because it gave me a great view of some amazing wildlife.

'And it was a great moment for a picture that he can hang on his wall forever.'

During their rutting season South Georgia is home to up to 400,000 elephant seals and an astonishing 450 000 King pinguins.

The pod being watched by the team contained 3000 individuals alone. It attracts wildlife photographers around the world because of the diversity of species in huge numbers.

'You have to be careful not to approach the animals on the island so that you don't disturb them,' mr Silha explained.

'But they are not afraid of humans and many will approach human visitors just to have a look. Humans look very different to any other creature there, so we must really stand out.'

Successful full-sized elephant seal males can lead harems of hundreds of females.

Pants to flowers: Men buying lingerie this Valentine’s Day instead of 'expensive' roses

Florists typically make more than a third of their annual revenue in the run up to February the 14th.

But with a dozen red roses and postage often costing upwards of £100, thrifty men are on the lookout for cheaper alternatives.

Sexy lingerie is fast becoming the favourite Valentine's Day – a gift that keeps on giving.

Here to help: Sales advisers help men choose the correct gift by posing in a Debenhams shop window in Sunderland

A pair of sexy knickers can set a man back less than £5, and a set of designer lingerie can be picked up for around £25 - they all last much longer than wilting roses.

Since the start of the recession, underwear sales in early February have steadily improved.

Luxury designer lingerie brands Reger by Janet Reger and Floozie by Frost French saw a 18 per cent increase from 2008 to 2009, and 2010 saw a further 26 per cent increase in men and women buying opulent gifts in silk and lace.

Debenhams revealed that the top three towns for lingerie sales in the run up to Valentine’s Day are Manchester, London and Edinburgh.

Sharon Webb, Debenhams Head of Design, said: ‘Lingerie is for love on a budget. It really is the gift that keeps giving.’

All for under £30: Ultimate's push up bra £20 and shorts £8.50 (left) and Reger by Janet Reger's silk bra £18.50 and hipsters £10.50

‘Men know that presenting a loved one with lingerie conveys a powerful message which gets straight to the point – for little outlay.’

‘Sales of our sexy £4.50 knickers are rocketing in the run up to Valentine’s Day. It’s a way of saying I love you – and keeping it brief.’

Aliza Reger, daughter of lingerie’s first lady Janet Reger, and designer at Debenhams added: ‘They’re less expensive, last longer and provide hours of fun long after the rose petals have wilted.’

‘Lingerie is a gift which can inject more fizz into a relationship than even the finest vintage champagne – and will never go flat!’

The world's sexiest, kinkiest and strangest hotels

Ahead of Valentine's Day, we present a selection of the sexiest and naughtiest
hotels around the world.

Hotel Pelirocco, Brighton

Billed as "Brighton's sauciest stopover", the Hotel Pelirocco features 19 trendy
but affordable rooms, each with a theme inspired by pop art, rock 'n' roll and
burlesque.

Its flagship suite, "The Play Room" – described as "the ultimate dirty weekend
room" – features an 8ft round bed, a pole dancing area (guests can pre-book
lessons with the hotel) and a monsoon shower built for two.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Love rats beware: All-female detective agency on the trail of Manchester's cheating men

Deanna Delamotta

February 08, 2011

Rebecca Jane, who has launched the Lady Detective Agency in Manchester to catch love rats

Rebecca Jane set up her detective agency because she knows what it’s like to be the victim of infidelity. “I suspected my ex husband was cheating on me. I needed hard evidence but I found all the detective agencies were run by men.

“I didn’t like their attitude. They were patronising and expensive, charging between £50 and £100 an hour.

“So I started to do my own detective work. It didn’t exactly go to plan. I ended up in a car crash after my efforts to tail him went wrong – it made me realise when it came to setting up my own agency that I needed to be fully trained first.”

It wasn’t just the infidelity that signalled the end of the relationship, however, and Rebecca tried to make her marriage work before eventually deciding divorce was the only solution.

“I wholeheartedly believe in marriage, my parents have been married for 45 years. But there was so much wrong in mine. My ex husband had a drink problem for instance. He had numerous liaisons with numerous women, but if it had just been a one-off I don’t think that would have ended it. I advise people: don’t throw a marriage away because of an affair.”

Surprisingly, perhaps, Rebecca’s clients tend to be of a similar mindset: “The majority of our clients stay together once we have uncovered infidelity even in the case of long-standing affairs. They come to us to get the truth then often they will go away and work at it. Communication is the key. If only couples would talk to each other more I don’t think our services would be needed as much.

“But you can’t put up with a serial philanderer. I think Cheryl Cole handled things exceptionally well by giving Ashley a chance when she first found out he’d apparently been unfaithful. But he is reported to have cheated on her more than once. In those circumstances you have to walk away.

“Most people have affairs because they find their lives mundane, they want something exciting, to escape from the dull reality of their everyday lives. Affairs tend to happen when a relationship is under five years old or over 20.

“You have to go with your gut instinct if you do suspect infidelity. Suspicions tend to build up over time through a combination of little things, a small trail of lies. The obvious one is if your partner would rather eat his mobile phone rather than let you look at it.

“Generally, a person’s suspicions end up being proven correct although you do get cases of paranoid partners.”

Lancashire lass, Rebecca, 26, hasn’t been put off romance by the heartache she suffered: “I had a horrific experience with my ex-husband, but I have used that experience as a learning curve. It made me grow up fast. I’m with someone now. I’m very very happy and I trust him with all my heart. But, to be quite fair, with the amount of surveillance equipment in my house he would be stupid to cheat!”

Rebecca picked herself up quickly once she decided to leave her ex-husband, changing jobs as well as leaving her marriage.

“I’d been working in property and then the crash happened. I decided to set up the detective agency with the women who’d helped me find out about my husband’s cheating. I decided all this in a calm and measured way.”

And so the Lady Detective Agency was born, now based in the heart of Manchester in King Street, with an all female staff – although they have been called on to use the occasional male for honey trap purposes: “We needed a man for a case involving a transsexual,” she says matter of factly.

“But essentially we’re an all women staff who’ve all been trained and we’re all women who have experienced infidelity. I think that’s important because we can offer empathy as well as a professional service.”

And with Valentine’s Day around the corner, Rebecca and her team are expecting to be busier than ever. “Occasions like Valentine’s Day always prompt an awful lot of hits on our website. For instance on Christmas Eve we had no hits but by Boxing Day we were inundated – wives receiving gifts they’re not at all happy with,” she laughs.

Her all woman agency attracts many male clients as well as female. “I’d say it’s 60 per cent women 40 per cent men. I think they appreciate our prices as well as the fact that they can pour their hearts out to us because we have been there.

“We charge £40 an hour and try to make it affordable for everyone. We don’t hang about like some private detectives who wait around for hours and hours to gather evidence. We are much happier if we know where so and so is going to be at such and such a time. The idea of sitting around in a car for hours fills me with dread!”

But with her blonde bubbly looks doesn’t Rebecca worry about the risk of being recognised later by an irate philanderer? “There is always a risk involved but we do have disguises. We never work on our own either.”

On the brink: Luxury mansion just ONE METRE from cliff edge after two landslides dump garden into the sea

The owners of a luxury clifftop mansion are living on the edge - after seeing part of their garden crash into the sea.

The unnamed couple paid £1.75 million for the picturesque property in Dawlish, south Devon, 18 months ago.

The end of the four bedroom property's stone terrace which enjoys stunning paranormaic views over Dawlish towards Exmouth, is now only a metre away from the edge of the 200 foot high cliffs.

On the brink: The £1.75 million property in Dawlish, south Devon, teeters precariously on the edge of the cliff

But they have suffered two landslips in the space of just four days.

On Saturday the latest fall saw the bottom of their garden disappear from the sheer cliff face into the sea - taking with it part of their boundary fence.

Bit by bit: This picture was taken in 2007 when 80ft of the home's garden plunged into the sea. But the cliff hasn't stopped crumbling

A tree cashed down with tons of soil and left a gaping hole where the fence had stood and a crack where another part of the land appears perilously close to falling.

A neighbour said the first fall happened last Wednesday when part of the red stone cliff collapsed.

Salvage: The owner is getting civil engineers to examine the cliffs in a bid to save her home

The owner of the house - who does not want to be named - said: 'There was an earlier fall about four years ago but this one has brought down at last one tree and it looks like there are several others which could come down.

'It has worsened since Saturday and we have had metal safety grills put up.

'I imagine it will cost thousands to stabilise the rest of the cliff.'

She is now getting civil engineers to examine the cliffs to see what can be done to shore up the remaining land.

Planners approved the development in 2005 with a number of conditions including a full geotechnical report to ensure the future stability of the cliff which would not be affected by the property's construction.

A Teignbridge Council spokesman said all conditions were met by the original applicant to allow the house to be built.

Members of the council's Green Spaces team visited the site after the first landslip to check on the damage.

It is thought the falls may be due to normal coastal erosion caused by factors like the sea undercutting the cliff base.

Search The world

About Me

So much news today is dull, depressing, controversial. It's almost impossible to watch news without hearing story after story of war, terror, killing, destruction, government, corruption, etc. I come across weird and wonderful news items as I scan the worlds press that put a smile on ones face or distract one from all the doom and gloom. These are the stories that will make up "The Quirky Globe". If you have any reactions to articles please leave a comment.... it may encourage debate. Pass this site on to your friends who are also fed up with mainstream news and become a follower. Enjoy and smile.